Snow keeps piling up

While the local rivers held steady last

weekend, the surrounding mountain snowpack was once again on the

rise.

A potent weather system brought up to

three inches of liquid precipitation to the higher terrain, which

added up to more than 15 inches of snow in some spots.

Big Mountain’s snow stick showed an

impressive 137 inches of depth at the summit on Sunday, with

between 15-20 inches of new snow covering the upper slopes. There

was 150 inches of snow on the summit when the ski resort closed at

the beginning of April.

A steady stream of skiers and

snowboarders made their way up the mountain to take advantage of

the top-to-bottom skiing and creamy powder on shaded aspects.

While the lingering snowpack is fun for

recreationists, it will likely cause local flooding eventually. The

cooler temperatures, however, are keeping the rivers below flood

stage for now.

“Colder temperatures have really cut

back and if anything, ended the snow melt that has helped push the

rivers up,” said Bruce Bauck with the National Weather Service in

Missoula.

Low temperatures on Friday at Logan

Pass in Glacier Park were at 25 degrees, while they stayed around

40 in the valley.

“We’re adding snow and that’s not very

normal for this time of year,” Bauck said. “This is something we’ll

have to watch as we get into the warmer part of June.”

The Stillwater River has been near

flood stage for a few weeks. The Whitefish River is steady at about

7.5 feet, a foot below flood stage.

Warmer temperatures and widespread

precipitation could bring the river flows back up. There is a

chance for rain every day this week, with highs in the low 70s

predicted.